Over at Tesla, a new motto is apparently taking shape: “you don’t come to us; we come to you.” In an attempt to establish a reputation as a brand that caters to the needs of its customers, Tesla Motors is keeping true to its mission of being of service to its patrons. So, as a way to ensure that they have the customer’s back in ways no other brand has, the California-based company recently announced that the arrival of their new at-home service vehicle.
It’s called the Tesla Mobile Service Rangers and it was created to allow Tesla owners to have all their auto needs taken cared off right at the confines of their own homes. Whether it’s the annual service tune-ups or unsuspected malfunctions, the Tesla Mobile Service Rangers seeks to provide Tesla owners with the most personal of care.
The flip side of this new service is that it comes with a price, and it’s not a cheap one at that. Anybody who wishes to give these guys a call will be charged a dollar per round-trip mile with a minimum charge of $100. Then again, the price for convenience is well, priceless. Besides, if you can afford to buy a Roadster, then we think you won’t have any problems forking over $100 for its maintenance.
While quite a few automakers will be absent from the upcoming Tokyo Moor Show, the Nissan Motor Company has prepared a new zero emissions concept car that is ready to solve the problem of personal transportation in congested urban environments while still offering a spirited driving experience for both the driver and passenger; Nissan is calling it the Land Glider. Now the Japanese automaker is not the first to come up with an inline two sear that leans into turns, however they are the first to combine the concept with the forward thinking power train of a battery electric vehicle. This is quite convenient because crowded cities like London for example charge significantly higher taxes on automobiles based on their emissions, while some low emissions and especially zero emissions vehicles are exempt from some of those additional charges to operate inside the city center, making the efficient Land Glider a perfect choice to not only navigate congested cities but escape from them as well.
The Land Glider offers seating for two in tandem, with the driver sitting up front and room for only one passenger behind. The traditional round steering wheel is replaced with a unit more like the stick on an airplane, and the gauges match the aviation theme and make the concept’s cabin feel more like a cockpit. The only thing that reminds you that the Land Glider is intended for road use are the leather wrapped bucket seats and a more traditional three pedal layout. On the outside the Nissan Land Glider comes complete with 21st century styling like swept back headlights, floating fenders, angular body panels, large glass surfaces and a strip of LEDs for a taillight. From the side, the Land Glider has a profile similar to a Smart car, but from head on the Nissan concept is no more than a few feet wide.
Aside from having a very narrow footprint, the instant torque of its electric motor and lightweight construction make the Land Glider reasonably quick off the line. The low drag design means that the shape will be able to slipstream up to speed and then carry it through the curves by using a sophisticated suspension and drive train setup that makes the zero emissions concept lean into the turns and increase its capacity for high speed cornering.
Press release after the jump.
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Over on the other side of the pond, the UK is getting set to unveil their all-new bad guy-chasing police cruiser, but unlike the new 2011 Chevrolet Caprice, which will be used in the US, the chaps from the UK have decided to crack down on their own criminals with the new Mitsubishi all-electric i-MiEV.
It seems odd to us that the UK police’s vehicle-of-choice in apprehending the baddies is an electric car is neither fast nor intimidating. But as it turns out, the compact electric car was displayed in full police regalia at the National Police Show last month. Since then, the i-MiEV, which runs on an electric motor and has a top speed of 130 km/h, has become somewhat of a hot item among police units in the country, a lot of them even resorting to asking Mitsubishi for some trial cars.
From our end, we have no idea how the i-MiEV can hold its own in against, say, a runaway Aston Martin, but then again, the UK Police Force must have something up their sleeves as far as tinkering with the i-MiEV is concerned.
We just can’t picture the electric car to exude the kind of menacing badass-ness police cruisers are known to have.
Now that you have delighted quite enough with the FT-86 Concept, is time to move our attention to the second Toyota concept to be revealed in Tokyo: the FT-EV II, which stands for "Future Toyota Electric Vehicle II". It is a four-seater concept that previews the upcoming small city electric vehicle set to be released by 2012. The FT-EV I was revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
The FT-EV II Concept is placed under the iQ in Toyota’s line-up. It measures 2730 mm in length, 1680 mm in width and 1490 mm height. The vehicle has no steering wheel or foot pedals-symbols of vehicle performance. In addition, it has not been designed simply as a means of transport, but instead based on the premise of collaboration with communications functions, a concept that differs from earlier vehicles.
The car is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that has an autonomy of 56 miles and can hit a top speed around 62 mph.
Press release after the jump.
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A few weeks after it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Audi e-Tron Concept has finally received the ‘go’ signal for production.
The announcement was made by Johan de Nysschen in an interview done with Autonews. Among other things, the Audi of America president said that the overwhelmingly positive response to the concept car at the IAA has resulted in the brand to release an electric version of the car, which is expected to make roll out in the US sometime in 2011 or 2012.
Powered by four electric motors on each axle, the e-Tron Concept can travel a distance of 154 miles by only using the packed lithium-ion battery inside the car. As far as performance goes, the car is capable of producing 313 horsepower and around 4,500 Nm of torque.
This one caught us by surprise, not because the car was given the green light, but because it happened sooner than we expected. Nevertheless, you can’t keep a good idea down, and judging from the response the e-Tron Concept received in Frankfurt a few weeks ago, we can safely say that Audi may have hit a goldmine with this one.
Taking a page out of a design that was made over four decades ago, Honda has released the first look at the retro-looking EV-N Concept. If you think you’ve seen that front design before, you probably have; it looks like the N360 micro car.
A small four-seat, electric car, Honda created the EV-N with an attempt to bridge old-school flavour with new-school technology. The car, which is set o be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in a few weeks, comes with a solar panel roof, door-mounted U3-X personal mobility devices, and the all-new car-communication technology, the Honda Electric Mobility Loop (HELLO) -
it’s a technology that allows Honda’s outfitted with it the chance to ‘communicate’ with each other, hence the name HELLO.
That’s as much as we know about the EV-N for now. We’ll keep you posted on anything new that comes up leading up to Tokyo where the car will be introduced along with the CR-Z concept and the Skydeck concept.
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Setting land speed records for an alternatively powered vehicle, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered high speed streamliner to break the 300 MPH mark. Nicknamed "La Jamais Contente", 750 HP was developed in partnership with the students at Ohio State University and pays tribute to the original record setting electric racer of the same name from back in 1899 when the antique automobile become the first vehicle to achieve 60 MPH. The project is part of a 3 year program with the University during which time the Streamliner will attempt to break a few other records for electrically propelled race cars as well as with the further development of innovations in driver safety, driveline, electronics and packaging for the high speed application.
After the team’s success back on September 25 with back to back 300 MPH passes down the mile long stretch of salt, the team’s efforts will continue on into the 2010 and 2011 land speed record seasons. To be exact, the Buckeye Bullet 2 currently holds both national and international land speed records of 315 MPH and 272 MPH as well as the honor of being the first zero emissions electric vehicle to run at over 300 MPH.
Just like the original "Jamais Contente," the Buckeye Bullet 2 shows that electricity is a very powerful fuel and with the right configuration shows that anything is possible. This is also a powerful push for future EVs like the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, demonstrating that electricity can be a functional fuel. The Team made up of Ohio State students and staff isn’t done yet, their next goal is to reach 350 MPH in the battery powered streamliner.
Full specifications after the jump.
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These days, the push towards electric car production has not been limited to just big time auto manufacturers; even the small-scale brands have taken their turns in creating their own electric vehicles, proving that the electric car could very well be the future of the industry.
Take Tesla, for instance. While it doesn’t have the same resources as other car brands out there, the California-based electric carmaker has nevertheless made quite an impression in the industry as a foremost proponent of the electric car revolution. Though a relative newbie in the industry with a still questionable financial structure, Tesla has been able to produce some of the more popular electric cars out in the market today; so much so that it even secure a loan from the Department of Energy to help finance the building of a new plant to develop the Model S.
At least, that’s what the original plan was. As it turns out, the company is also using the funding it secured under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program to develop a whole new fleet of electric cars, including a minivan, a CUV, and a utility van.
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While most environmentalists are focusing on cleaning up the atmosphere by slowing down cars, other green engineers are working on harnessing as much potential energy as possible in order to create true zero emission super cars. This past Frankfurt Motor Show saw the Germans unveiling both the all new Audi e-Tron concept as well as an electric SLS AMG factory built 21st century super cars. Following up on their open wheeled E-1 electric sports car, the battery powered car builder e-Wolf has come up with a very aerodynamic body for the new E-2 that is light years ahead of the previous generation vehicle.
The e-Wolf E-2 electric super car has a nose inspired by a Ferrari Enzo, the tight tapered rear end of a Lexus L-FL and the stance of a Lamborghini Murcielago made up of sharp creases and bulging air scoops. Underneath carbon fiber composite two seater body are four electric motors that combine to produce a maximum output of 536 HP and 738 lb-ft of torque. The benefit of an electric drive train is that all 1000 Nm of thrust are available right off the line. Even though it will only weigh around 900 kg anyone who has ever owned an electrically powered remote control car can tell you that driving at high speeds drains the batteries. That is most likely one of the reasons why the E-2’s top speed has been limited to 155 MPH and the range is a rather conservative 185 miles.
In order to aid with the lengthy refueling process, the e-Wolf E-2 will feature a rapid recharging mode that will power up 80% of the batteries in about 30 minutes, considerably shorter than what it would take to power up a traditional plug in electric vehicle. It is nice to know that despite the rising price of gas and depletion of fossil fuels that there are still people in the world working on going fast in a green way. The prototype will debut sometime in 2011 and production will commence shortly thereafter. Tesla owners be warned!
Fresh of their ground-breaking and revolutionary BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, another attention-seeking BMW-badged concept car is making some headlines these days.
We actually don’t know if it’s a porcupine, a car, or a combination of both. Either way, the car you’re seeing is the new BMW Lovos concept and was created by a 24-year old designer Anne Forschner from the Pforzheim University in Germany.
We don’t know what Ms. Anne was thinking designing this car, but he probably sees something we don’t with this car. For starters, its body of work suggests that it was inspired from a porcupine or fish scales. And if that can’t catch your attention, you might want to check out those matching Swarovski-decked lights for good measure.
We know car designers have a penchant for going a tad too overboard with their designs but this one seems to definitely fly over the cuckoo scale. Forschner’s design, which if you pay enough attention, comes with exterior pieces that’s coated with solar photovoltaic cells, which we assume, will have something to do with the car possibly running on solar or electric power.
Either way, we don’t think it’s a car we’d like to see out on the road anytime soon. Maybe ever.
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